30 Survival Skills Modern People Have Forgotten

Every generation is skilled at using the technology of its era. For example, people today are very good at driving cars, using smartphones, setting up home entertainment systems, and so forth. The problem is, if the end of the world as we know it ever happens, all those skills will be useless. The skills of our forefathers, on the other hand, will never be useless.

Below, we’ll take a look at 30 survival skills from our past that have mostly been forgotten today. If you want to be able to survive in a world where relying on technology isn’t an option, these skills are certainly worth learning.

4. Building a Fire

Building a fire isn’t as easy as they make it look in the movies. Even with the right tools and ideal conditions, getting a fire started can sometimes be a challenge – and it’s a skill that few people today have acquired.

5. Hunting

Prey animals have spent their entire lives avoiding predators, and they are very talented at it – which makes hunting a real challenge. In an era where fresh meat is always a trip to the supermarket away, hunting has become a forgotten skill.

7. Purifying Water

8. Preserving Food

Thanks to our abundant supply of food as well as the invention of freezers and refrigerators, knowing how to preserve food is no longer a necessity. Without these modern-day conveniences, though, food preservation is essential for survival.

13. Predicting the Weather

Today, figuring out what the weather is going to be like is as easy as turning on the television or pulling up an app on your phone. In the past, though, being able to predict the weather without these modern conveniences was essential for survival.

14. Self Defense

There was a time when it was common for fathers to teach their sons how to defend themselves. Today, self-defense is an important skill for men and women alike, but it is certainly less common for people to know.

15. Butchering An Animal

Even if you know how to raise your own animals for meat, you’ll also need to know how to butcher them. This is a more complicated process than many people realize and it’s a skill that must be acquired.

16. Using Cloth Diapers

Before the days of disposable diapers, cloth diapers were all that was available. If the day comes when you can no longer purchase disposable diapers, learning how to use cloth diapers is going to be a necessity.

17. Gardening

Our abundance of food and the ease in which we are able to acquire it has eliminated the need for many skills, including gardening. As far as survival skills go, though, gardening is one of the most important.

18. Keeping Yourself Entertained

We have so many sources of entertainment and distraction these days that not many people are comfortable entertaining themselves without outside stimulation. In a world without electronics, knowing how to keep yourself entertained is very useful.

19. Mechanic Work

Though we are very reliant on mechanical things, not many people know how to work on them without the help of a professional. At one time, though, most everyone knew how to repair their own cars, motorcycles, and other mechanical products.

20. Bartering

We aren’t used to having to barter for the things we buy today, but bartering used to be a way of life. It’s an important skill to know should we ever have to go back to purchasing things locally rather than buying them from a nationwide chain.

21. First Aid

Thanks to the convenience of modern medicine, few people have to worry about treating their own wounds. Nevertheless, first aid remains one of the most valuable forgotten skills that a person can learn.

To learn the basics of first aid that may one day save your life, check out this Red Cross guide.

22. Keeping Warm

Not many people today have to worry about dying of hypothermia. But in the past, knowing how to keep warm – both inside and outside the home – was essential for survival.

26. Building a Shelter

Knowing how to build an effective shelter is key to wilderness survival. During the times where people would travel out into the woods without the convenience of a portable tent, knowing how to build a shelter was a vital skill.

27. Driving a Vehicle With a Manual Transmission

Automatic transmissions haven’t always been around, and there was a time when everyone drove a manual. Today, the ability to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission is becoming increasingly less common.

30. Repurposing Items

Conclusion

Even mastering just a few of these skills will put you leagues ahead of the average person, thus giving you a much greater chance of survival after a disaster. Pick one that interests you the most and start practicing. Once you get a little burnt out on it, move on to a different skill. Just be sure to get back to the first one later. With this list of survival skills, you’ll never be bored again!

Comments

One day you may come into a situation where you have to pull a vehicle out of a bad situation and it may not be an automatic. This happened to me a few years ago. I man got his 1974 Chevy Blazer stuck in the mud in the woods. When I noticed him he was still in the truck, it is because he had broke his leg (bad). I managed to get him out and into my truck (an automatic dually) and his was a 4 wheel drive Chevy…manual. I learned to drive a manual while in the military. The point I am trying to make, you might find yourself in a situation where you will need to know all. I hoped this helped.

I work at a historic site (1700s),and we do living history programs covering a lot of these. Look around your area and check out out your local pre electric state historic sites programming. They (we) can provide direct lessons. It also helps these sites with visitation and a outing for the family. Everything they do is forward applicable to grid down scenerios.

You may not have time to learn all these skllls. Deal with reality! Buy what you need to surive now for at least two weeks.then you will have time to learn new skills ( old skills) bug out is plan B..we will probly be stuck where we happen to be.

WOW!,Well ,cough,choke,gag,gasp,well kids back when I was wee lad I was doing this as a every day thing and still do it except some for changing diapers,And as for wasting food.WELL FORGET IT.IF YOU DID SO MUCH AS DID THAT,WELL YOU GOT YOUR WAPED SO HARD YOU FOR HOW TO SIT FOR A DAY,EVEN HURT TO WALK OR LAY DOWN.TEARS,FORGET IT THE MORE YOU CRIED THE MORE YOU GOT.ANS RESPECT YOU ‘NEVER’ DID FORGET TO RESPECT THE ELDERS CAUSE OUT COMES THE BELT,RED WILLOW, AND ANYTHING ELSE TO MAKE YOU REMEMBER.As for that now a days ,HOPELESS CAUSE,that would be classed as child abuse. STUFF THAT WAS NOT EVEN HEARD OF WHEN I WAS A KID.Now days you don’t want to holler at the kids or threaten to spank them or take away anything your charged with child abuse.

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